Yi Zhen and Cao left the warehouse and sat in the car. Yi sat in the car and then said, "Let's go to the National University and pick up my sister, and then you can leave me there, and I will meet you tomorrow at the location." The car moved, and after some time Cao spoke up, "Sir, can I ask what the meaning of the group name Aegis Call is?" Yi nodded and answered. "Aegis is a term that is used by me and the commissioner and is also a call for protection or a shield that protects people from hidden threats; hence, here our squad will be doing the same, so we are Aegis Call." Cao nodded and said, "That explains it, and we have reached it, sir. I will inform you about the location via text." Yi nodded and left the car at the entrance of the national university. He saw the car leave and waited by the entrance for her sister to come.
After a few minutes a girl came out of the gate, and she stood next to Yi Zhen and smiled. Yi Zhen smiled back and took her bag and said, "How were your classes, Yi Yao?" Yi Yao made a weird expression and said, "Since when did you call me Yi Yao? You always refer to me as Yao Yao." After saying this, she took a fighting stance and threw some air punches towards Yi Zhen and said, "Who are you? Where is my brother? What have you done to him? Bring him back now, or I will punch you." Yi Zhen laughed and took a fighting stance and threw some air punches, and they pretended to fight until Yi Zhen was on the ground acting defeated. Yao kept one foot on the chest and her hands on her waist and laughed loudly and said, "See, if it was my Gege, he would have defeated me not being on the floor." Yi Zhen laughed and said, "You are 20 now, and I am hungry. Can we go home and eat?" Yao Yao helped him up and said, "Why does it matter if I am 20? Didn't you lie on the ground acting? And anyways, I am your younger sister, and you love me too much to be embarrassed." She took his hand, and they went walking towards the metro station, and as they were about to reach it, Yao started running and yelled, "Last one to reach home cooks dinner." Yi started running slowly, letting Yao win, and smiled and yelled, "Run slowly, and I'll cook always anyways."
Yao ran inside the house yelling, "I win, and you will cook tonight." She ran straight to take a shower, and Yi Zhen went to the kitchen and started preparing dinner. The setting sun was being reflected on the counter. Yi Zhen wore an apron, and he removed pork belly from the refrigerator and put it on the cutting board, and he cut the pork belly into small one-inch-thick cubes, and he placed them into a bowl of cold water to draw the impurities out slowly, and he switched on the stove and put a pot on it, and then in the pot he added water, ginger, and a splash of cooking wine. As the water heats, a scum forms on the top, which he skims with a spoon using his soldier precision, and now he drains the pork from the cold water while adding it to the pot that he heated, and then he removes a clean wok and puts it on heat, and he adds a tablespoon of oil and sugar. He watches it intently, swirling the wok until the sugar melts and forms a thick, dark amber-colored liquid layer. From the pot that was on the stove, he now drains the water and takes the blanched pork pieces and puts them in a wok. A sizzling sound is made, and he keeps tossing the wok until all the pork pieces are covered in a caramel color and keeps tossing them until they are brown in color.
Once they are beautifully brown in color, he adds a little light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, more cooking wine, and enough hot water to cover the pork. He also adds a few spices, such as a few star anise, a piece of cassia bark, and two pieces of rock sugar. He brings it to a boil on gentle heat for about forty-five minutes. He covers the lid and then moves on to making side dishes until the pork is cooked. He then takes two large potatoes, and with terrifying speed and skill, he cuts them into paper-thin discs and then stacks the discs to cut them into hair-thin julienne. He immediately submerges them into cold water to keep them crispy and to remove the extra starch. In a hot wok he takes some dried red chillies and Sichuan peppercorns and toasts them until they are fragrant. He then takes the potato and shakes it dry and drops it into the pot, making a sizzling sound. He tosses it a few times, adding rice vinegar and a pinch of salt, and the dish is prepared in under five minutes. He sets the table up, and he uncovers the wok and sees that the sauce has reduced to a thick glossy glaze and is now stuck to the pork. He tosses it one last time and places it in a serving bowl and takes it to the table.
After setting up the table with all the food and side dishes he prepared, he called out his sister for dinner. They sat down and had dinner; she chatted about her college, and then she went to study. Yi Zhen was doing the dishes when suddenly his phone rang. It was from the commissioner. He checked in the direction of the door her sister was in, and seeing as there would be no disturbance, he picked up the call, and the commissioner from the other end said, "The meeting tomorrow will be held in the warehouse, and the warehouse will be your base. Cao has already informed the squad; just make sure they behave in front of the president." Yi Zhen answered, "Don't worry, sir, they will be on their best behavior, and we will need the details by tomorrow so we can start the preparation." Commissioner Li answered, "Yes, I have already informed Cai; he will bring the details by tomorrow and hand them to you. Meet him early and collect them. I will end the call now and meet you tomorrow."
The call ended, and Yi started preparation for tomorrow; he removed the clothes and weapons. Yi Zhen knocked on the door of Yao; she opened the door, and Yi said, "I will be leaving early morning tomorrow and won't have time to make you breakfast, so eat properly, and I will transfer some money, so go get groceries, and I might be late coming home." Yao smiled, nodded, and said, "Don't worry, Gege, I will do it and be safe and take care." Yi Zhen shut the door and went into his room and sat on his bed thinking, "This is it; it's the beginning of the hardest mission ever.